Illuminated sign.



No. 818.724. PATENTED APR. 24,1906

0. L. WILLIAMS.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED 001216 1905.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 1.

Attorneys No. 818,724. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. O. L. WILLIAMS.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED OOT,1G. 1005v 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Wjmzass s; 672072662,[/VVENTOR.

CHARLES LANGDON WILLIAMS, or PARKEnSBUno, WEST VIRGINIA.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed October 16, 1905. Serial No. 283,021.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LANGDON WIL- LIAMS, a citizen of the United-States, residin at Parkersburg, in the county of Wood and State of WestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Illuminated Sign, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to illuminated signs, and has for its object toprovide an improved letter or symbol which may be as conveniently readduring the day as at night when the symbol is illuminated.

A further object of the invention is to give the symbol a shaded effectand also to have the same appear in relief and intaglio.

A still further object of the invention is to have the symbol appear inoutline when illu-.

Ininated and to provide for illuminating the face of the symbol in aposition to have the same appear in outline.

\Vith these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be herein after morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, propor ,tion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of anilluminated sign pro vided with one of the symbols of the presentinvention. Fig. '2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the symbol inrelief. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the symbol intaglio. Fig. 4 is aperspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a symbol and its back-plateseparated. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustratingthe construction of the symbol.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

The present device includes an opaque back plate or body A and a symboldesignated in general B. The back-plate is provided with an opening 1 inthe form of the symbol to be carried by the plate. In the presentinstance it is the letter L. The symbol proper is made up of an opaquebody 4, preferably of plate metal, in the form of the letter L, which isprovided around its edges with flanges 6. To the'inner face of theopaque body 4 there is secured a flange 6, which is spaced from and insubstantial parallelism with the flange 6, so as to form an edge seat orrecess 5 for the reception of the adjacent edge of a translucent glassplate 3. It will here be noted that the flanges 6 and 6 are set at an anle of about forty-five degrees to the body of the symbol 4, whereby thetranslucent plates 3 are also set at an angle to the body, so as to givea shaded effect to the letter. Where the ends of adjacent translucentplates abut they are embraced between an angle-strip 6", said stripbeing integral with or suitably secured to the body 4say by beingsoldered or brazed thereto. For the purpose of connecting the letter orsymbol to the back-plate in alinement with the opening therein the otheredge of each translucent plate is received between a pair ofangle-strips, the members 7 and 8 of which snugly embrace the plate,while their other members 7 and 8 lie'flat against one another insubstantial parallelism with the body 4 and are soldered or otherwiseconnected, the member 7 being placed flat against and secured rigidly tothe back A at the outer side of the opening therein. It will here benoted that the members 7 and 8 form i a groove or seat 2, in which oneedge of the adjacent translucent plate 3 is received.

It will of course be understood that the edges of the translucent platesare cemented or otherwise rigidly secured within the seats 2 and 5, soas to form a water-tight joint.

At each internal angle between abutted translucent platcs3 there is anangle-strip 6", corresponding to the outer angle-strip 6 betweenwhichthe plates are cemented or otherwise secured, so as to brace thestructure and render the same rigid.

It will here be explained that each letter or symbol is formed upon aseparate back A, and this back is connected to the open front of a frameor box 9 by means of inturned flanges 10 provided at each of the uprightedges of the plate and adapted to embrace suitable brackets orprojections 11, provided u on the top and bottom front edge portions ofthe box or frame 9, there of course being a similar inturned flange atthc'top of the back 1, so as to han upon the upper brackets orprojections, and thereby removably support the symbol upon the front ofthe box. Any suitable illuminating means may be employed-such, forinstance, as electric lamps 12, carried within the box-so as to have theli ht therefrom seen through the translucent plates 3, and therebyproduce a letter or symunderstood that the blank the bolhin outline whenthe sign is illuminated at rom the foregoing description it will be body4 of the letter or symbol is plainly discernible in the daylight, andthe plates 3 give a shaded eifect thereto, it of course being necessaryto have body of the symbol and the translucent plates appear incontrasting colors-say, for instance, redfor the bod of the symbol andwhite for} the plates.

When the body of the symbol is projected in front of the back member A,as in Fig. 2, the symbol appears in relief or cameo, and when the bodyof the symbol is in rear of the back A, as in Fig. 3, said symbolappears intaglio or sunken. The form of the invention shown in Figs. 1and 2 when illuminated produces an outline symbol, by reason of the factthat. the light from within the box or frame 9 shines through thetranslucent plates 3 only, the body of the symbol being blank or dark.When the embodiment shown in Fig; 3 is illuminated, the symbol of coursealppears in outline, and. in addition thereto t e light which passesthrough the translucent edge plates also shines upon the body of thesymbol, and thereby discloses the body of the symbol, as well as theoutline thereof. Having thus described the invention, what is claimedis- 1. A symbol for illuminated signs comprising an opaque body, andtranslucent ed e plates set at an angle to the body, the b0 y and theplates bein in contrasting colors, to produce a shaded e ect.

2. A symbol for illuminated signs comprisg a back having an openingtherein, an opaque symbol-body disposed opposite the opening at one sideof the back, and translucent edge plates extending between the edge ofthe body and the edges of the opening, the symbol-body and'plates beingin contrasting colors to give a shaded effect to the symbol.

3. A symbol for illuminated signs comprisinga back having an opemngtherein in the shape of a symbol, a seat extending around opening, anopaque symbolthe edge47 of the body posed opposite the opening at onesideof the back and provided With a peripheral seat, and translucentplates set at an angle to the body with their edges received within theseat of the body and the seat of the back, the body and plates being incontrasting colors.

4. In an illuminated sign, the combination of a field having an openingtherein in the shape of a symbol, an opaque symbol-body disposedopposite the opening at one side of the field and smaller than theopening, and translucent edge plates extending between the edges of thesymbol and the edges of the opening and inclined across the opening, thesymbol-body and the plates being in contrasting colors.

5. A'symbol for illuminated signs comprising a back having an openingtherein in the shape of a symbol and provided with seats around the edes of the opening, an opaque symbol-body isposed opposite the opening atone side of the back and provided with peripheral edge seats,translucent plates set at an angle to the body With their ed es receivedwithin the seats of the body an the back, and angle-bars connectingtheabutted ends of adjacent translucent plates, the symbol-body and theplates being in contrasting colors.

6. A symbol for illuminated signs comprising an opaque back-plate havingedge por tions bent across the back of the p ate to form attachingflanges and there being an opening formed in the plate and 'havin theshape of the symbol to be exhibite an o aque symbol-body of the sameshape and oi less size than theopening, and translucent edge platesextending between the edges of the opening and the edges of the symboland inclined across the opening, the symbol-body and the plates being incontrasting colors and the plates forming a connection between thesymbol-body and the back-plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES LANG'DON WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

J. F. PARTRIDGE, W. H. TERRY.

